RABAT / Anadolu

Moroccan authorities continued efforts on Thursday for the second consecutive day to extinguish forest fires that broke out in Taroudant and Al Haouz provinces, consuming about 14 hectares of forest cover in the latter.

Mohamed Mounir, regional director of the National Agency for Water and Forests in Marrakech and Al Haouz, said that the fire had swept through about 14 hectares of forests in Al Haouz province (north) as of 14:00 GMT.

Mounir added to Anadolu that the authorities used two "Canadair" amphibious aircraft to participate in extinguishing operations.

He pointed out that strong winds and high temperatures are hindering the efforts of intervention teams to control the flames.

For his part, Hicham El Zahdi, regional director of the National Agency for Water and Forests in the Agadir region, said that a fire broke out on Wednesday in the forests of Taroudant province (south) belonging to the region, and that authorities are continuing efforts to extinguish it.

El Zahdi explained to Anadolu that the fire did not result in any human casualties.

He indicated that the affected area will be determined after complete control of the flames.

The fires broke out in forests in Taroudant and Al Haouz provinces on Wednesday, coinciding with rising temperatures and strong winds, which contributed to their spread and complicated extinguishing operations.

On July 5, authorities called on residents of areas adjacent to forests in 12 provinces to exercise caution and vigilance, amid warnings of an increased risk of fires.

The National Agency for Water and Forests said in a statement that the maximum danger level, classified in red, includes forests of 12 provinces out of 75 provinces in the kingdom.

Morocco relies on an early warning system to assess forest fire risks, managed by the National Agency for Water and Forests, and issued periodically based on climatic conditions and vegetation state.

The red level indicates a maximum danger of fire outbreaks, while the orange level indicates high risk, necessitating enhanced precautionary measures and avoiding activities that could cause ignition.

The warnings coincided with an alert bulletin issued by the General Directorate of Meteorology regarding a severe heatwave, during which temperatures may reach 46 degrees Celsius in some areas.